A Winter's Tale
by BuggyQ
Summary: Richard, Kahlan and Zedd face a new and unexpected threat—from an old and unexpected enemy.


A Winter's Tale

Takes place after Mirror (an absolutely great episode—thanks for throwing us a bone, guys. No pun intended). This was originally going to be garden-variety hurt/comfort (that being my favorite genre), but it took a weird turn, and I went with it. Reviews welcomed, flames ignored, gratuitous flattery encouraged.

They aren't mine, I don't own them—which is a good thing, since I'd be putting them through hell.

Summary: Richard, Kahlan and Zedd face a new and unexpected threat—from an old and unexpected enemy.

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Zedd had gotten word just before he'd rejoined them that there was a Resistance group in Middleton who might have information about Rahl's plans. Apparently they'd captured a journey book some time back. It was a long-shot, Kahlan thought. Most of these rumors turned out to be nothing—or worse, a trap.

Kahlan shook off that thought, trying to remember whatever it was Zedd always said about not worrying about things in the future. Even so, she kept her eyes open as they walked. She couldn't shake the feeling that there was something…off. She was surprised Richard hadn't said anything, but he was laughing companionably with Zedd about another of the many ridiculous moments in their recent encounter with Bianca and her friends.

Kahlan smiled, watching them. It was a relief to Kahlan to have Zedd with them again, not just for his presence, but for what it had done for Richard. The events surrounding the death of his mother, and everything that went with it, had been difficult for him. At least with Zedd, he had not only a connection to family, but also a connection to his past, to the family he'd grown up with.

And it didn't hurt to have someone else Richard could talk to without the undercurrent of tension there always was between the two of them. They'd found ways to manage—keeping the banter carefully neutral, taking moments to be by themselves, avoiding too much physical contact—but it was still hard. Ever since their encounter with Viviene and Kieran, they'd been very much aware what it was like to touch each other with more than just friendship. And the moments Richard had had with her in their latest crisis—even if it had been a thief in disguise—hadn't helped that any, Kahlan was sure, wishing she'd been able to...

Kahlan flushed slightly as Richard glanced back at her, and she hoped he couldn't read in her face what she was thinking. But his eyes darkened, taking on that smoldering look she'd seen on other occasions, and knew that her face had betrayed her. It was a blessing when she realized they were coming up over the hill that led down into Middleton.

Or it was until they started down the hill. But as they approached the walls of the town, a large group of D'Haran soldiers ran out from the gates, fanning out ahead of them and then marching toward them menacingly_. Oh, honestly_, Kahlan thought, frustrated. _Can't we just have one day where things go our way_?

Richard looked as though he was about to take them on, but Zedd grabbed his shoulder. "There are too many, Richard."

Kahlan agreed, and stepped backwards, turning as she did. And saw another line of soldiers appear from the treeline. _Spirits, how had they kept so quiet as we passed_? she thought. _D'Harans are __never__ that disciplined._ Kahlan glanced back at Richard, and the dismay on his face was unnerving. Behind them, the D'Harans from the town broke into a run, yelling.

"I guess we're fighting after all," Richard said grimly, holding his sword tightly. Kahlan drew her daggers, and the three of them formed a circle, back to back, and awaited the onslaught. It didn't take long to arrive.

Kahlan stepped under a vicious overhand strike from one soldier, thrusting her dagger up and into his throat, then turning as he fell, blocking a second soldier's thrust and then dropping, rolling, and slamming her foot into the braced knee of a third soldier. He fell, screaming, and she was caught up in a whirl of swords, daggers, and men everywhere. Another soldier down, her arm tingling from the force of her thrust, pulling the dagger free.

Kahlan heard the crackle of wizard's fire, and then Richard yelled her name and something else behind her, but she couldn't make it out. She dropped another soldier and turned, trying to catch sight of Richard, and realized with a shock that the majority of the soldiers were between them. And facing her. Richard's face appeared through the crush, too far away to come to her aid, and the fear in his eyes was like a blow.

Kahlan gritted her teeth, turning her attention back to blocking sword thrust after sword thrust. She took down two more soldiers, kicking another as she did, but there were still too many. And with them surrounding her, she knew it was impossible for Zedd to use his full power against them for fear of hurting her. _Spirits help me_, she thought, _they're all trying to kill __me_. She tried to break through the line, to get more space to maneuver, to give Zedd a clear field of fire. _They're trying to get to him through me. I can't let them_. Turn, block, slash, duck, stab, another man down, but there were so many more to take his place.

Somehow she managed to avoid the attacks for what seemed like a very long time, but had to have been only a few minutes at most. She slashed the wrist of the man thrusting his sword just past her waist, laying it open from elbow to hand, and heard yelling behind her, but it wasn't Richard or Zedd. She didn't dare turn to look, though, as the soldiers seemed to redouble their efforts to take her down. One more down, another gasping for air after her boot hit him in the stomach, another clutching at his face, blood spurting from a gash she ripped open with her whirling dagger…

Then a sword slid past her guard, and she twisted wildly, narrowly avoiding it thrusting directly into her shoulder. But it cut across the side of her shoulder, and her right arm was suddenly useless, her dagger slipping from nerveless fingers. She ignored the pain, ducking away from the sword, and taking out yet another soldier with a slash across his throat and a cry of rage. She felt the heat of flame behind her—_Zedd_?—and there was suddenly a sharp blow to her back. She stumbled forward, which may have saved her. It took her underneath a killing blow, and she tackled the soldier trying to deliver that blow, shoving him backwards, stabbing upwards into the soft part of his throat as they fell.

She'd intended to roll free of him and back to her feet, but somehow she couldn't seem to disentangle her legs. She caught herself on her good arm, but knew she couldn't stay that way, she'd be defenseless. She rolled to her side, surprised her injured arm didn't seem to hurt any more as she landed on it, and looked up, expecting to see D'Harans ready to kill her.

But they weren't. They were whirling in surprise, scattering under an attack from a new enemy. _The Resistance_, she thought with a wave of relief. She saw Zedd off to the side, blasting a soldier with fire, but as he did he was looking over at her. She tried to get up, to rejoin the fight, but felt suddenly as weak as if she'd just confessed someone. She rolled with an effort back onto her good arm, trying to lift herself to her knees, but her legs weren't obeying her commands. She looked down at them stupidly. There didn't seem to be anything wrong with them, but they seemed very far away.

_How odd_, she thought vaguely. She looked up, trying to see Richard. He was looking at her, too, frowning, then his eyes widened and he broke into a run, slashing wildly at the soldiers between them. Then one of those soldiers, only a few feet in front of her, turned and saw her. He strode toward her, raising his sword, a savage snarl on his face.

Kahlan's arm was shaking. She shifted onto her other side, to free her good arm again, hoping to be able to do something, anything. The soldier came to a stop in front of her, and his foot was only inches away from her face. _Maybe_, she thought dimly, reaching forward, hoping she had time...

She heard Richard's voice, yelling, "No!" and then her hand made contact with the soldier's leg. She let her powers flow, hoping that the contact was enough, and the soldier fell to one knee. Kahlan felt as though there was a yawning blackness inside her, an emptiness she'd never felt so strongly before. It threatened to swallow her, and she thought if it did she'd be falling through blackness forever. She wrenched her hand away from the soldier, moaning at the effort, and let it fall to the ground by the soldier's knee. There was roaring in her ears. _It's not just the confession_, she thought. _I'm hurt. But the arm wasn't that bad. Why--?_ She couldn't seem to even finish the thought as she rolled helplessly onto her back. There was blue sky above her, and everything got very quiet.

"Kahlan!" Richard yelled, and the soldier turned toward him, raising his sword. He looked confused, off-balance, but he hadn't been confessed. Richard easily batted aside his sword, and stabbed him through the chest. Richard shoved him aside, yanking the sword free, and fell to his knees next to Kahlan amid a slaughterhouse of at least a dozen other dead D'Harans. She was lying halfway onto her back next to one of the dead soldiers, her arm outstretched, a deep cut on the other shoulder bleeding heavily, the blood staining her white gown a deep red. Her eyes were open, and as he leaned forward, brushing the hair from her face, her eyes turned toward him, but she seemed as though she weren't aware it was him. "Kahlan?" he said quietly, trying to ignore the chill of fear he suddenly felt.

Her mouth opened slightly, as though she was trying to say something, but no words came out. She frowned for a moment, then blinked slowly, then her eyelids fluttered, closed. Her head turned slightly to the side, and to Richard's horror, a trickle of blood slipped out of the corner of her mouth. "No," Richard said roughly. "No, don't you dare. Kahlan!" he shouted, holding her face with both hands. She didn't respond. He leaned forward, and a sick feeling settled in the pit of his stomach. _She isn't breathing_.

_Zedd. We need Zedd_. Richard looked up and around at the fighting, which was dying down around him. The D'Harans were down to a few men left standing, and they were fighting to the death. _Where __is__ he_? he thought desperately.

"Richard!" He felt a hand on his shoulder, and looked up to find Zedd standing over him, looking worriedly down at him.

"Zedd!" he gasped, "help her. She's not—she—"

Zedd knelt down beside Kahlan, examining her shoulder, then looking at the rest of her, frowning. Then he noticed an ominous pool of blood creeping out from under her side. "Help me," he said to Richard, and together they rolled her gently to her side.

Richard, on her far side, heard Zedd's sharp intake of breath, and leaned forward. There was a gaping wound in Kahlan's lower back, and her gown was soaked in bright red blood. Richard made a strangled sound. _It's just like my father_, he thought, and felt like the world was ending.

Zedd looked at him, feeling a dark fear. _I don't know if I can save her_, he thought, _and it will kill him if I can't_. Then he shook off the despair and turned to his work. If he was going to save her, he had to move quickly. He held his hands above the wound and began chanting, putting every ounce of his energy into the spell.

Richard looked up at him, tears streaming down his cheeks, and sent out a wordless prayer to the spirits. Those were the longest minutes Richard had ever experienced. Zedd chanted for what seemed like forever, energy crackling around him, then he sagged forward, exhausted.

Richard leaned forward, his hand cupped around Kahlan's cheek, and felt the ghost of a breath against his cheek as he bent his head close to hers. He sobbed, and buried his head in the hollow of her neck.

"Richard," Zedd said roughly, lifting his head tiredly to look at the Seeker. "We need to get her to safety."

"You can bring her to our camp," one of the Resistance fighters said, and Richard realized as he lifted his head that there were dozens of armed men—and women—clustered around them, looking on in concern. Two of them made a makeshift stretcher from two spears, some leather straps and a cloak. They lifted Kahlan carefully onto it.

Richard staggered to his feet, exhausted. He awkwardly helped Zedd to his feet, and they set off into the trees.

***

It was dark. And cold. Kahlan shivered, and tried to open her eyes, but she couldn't see any difference. _I'm dead, _she thought, but if that were true, where were the spirits? _Shouldn't they_--?

_Hello, Confessor._

It was a voice…and not a voice…a feeling as though the sound had a physical presence. But there was also something frighteningly familiar about it.

_I've been looking forward to seeing you again, and here…you…are_.

"Where am I?" Kahlan asked, and her voice sounded plaintive, even as it disappeared into the blackness, the sound swallowed up into nothingness.

There was a sensation of laughter, but without any warmth to it. _You are where I want you_.

***

They walked for what seemed like forever, but was only a quarter of an hour. There was a small encampment in a clearing just over a mile into the forest. A stream meandered along the side of the clearing. Richard was amazed to see that it was still only mid-morning, the sun reflecting brightly off the water.

The men carrying Kahlan took her to a small tent in the center of the clearing. Richard followed them inside, watching as they gently laid her on a pile of blankets. They retreated outside, and Richard was grateful for their silent departure. _I should thank them_, he thought, but he couldn't make himself leave Kahlan.

In the dim light inside the tent, she looked even more pale than she had outside. She hadn't moved at all, only the faintest rise and fall of her chest indicating any life. Richard sank heavily to his knees beside her as Zedd entered the tent. The wizard settled down on a small campstool near her head, and looked steadily at Richard. "You need to prepare yourself, Richard," Zedd said gently.

Richard raised his head, a wild look in his eyes. "What?" he said, his voice ragged.

Zedd sighed tiredly. "I've done all I can, at least for now. But I don't know if it was enough."

Richard shook his head, eyes bright with tears. "No…" he whispered. "She's strong. She'll fight."

"I'm counting on that," Zedd said. "But she was in bad shape before she tried to confess that soldier. It nearly killed her, though I suppose he would have finished her if she hadn't tried." He stopped, his lips pressed into a thin line. "I'm sorry, Richard. I just couldn't get to her fast enough. By the time I realized—" He shook his head. _Now is not the time to tell him they were trying to kill her to hurt him_. "I need you to be as strong as she is, Richard. If…" he stopped, swallowing. "If she can't hang on, what will you do?"

Richard blinked away the tears, his face grim. "Does it matter?" he said bitterly.

***

Kahlan tried to turn around, to see whatever it was. But it was like being in a dream. Her body was insubstantial, and there was nothing around her to touch, to feel. Except the cold. _Maybe it is a dream_, she thought with a feeble hope.

_No, this is no dream. __And there is no waking up_.

Kahlan felt a surge of anger. "You can't keep me here," she said defiantly.

_Can't I? Your power is nothing here. My power is infinite._

"No," Kahlan whispered, but her confidence was waning.

***

"Richard," Zedd said, aching for the young man in front of him. "Richard, she loves you more than life. You know that. She would sacrifice herself a thousand times to help you defeat Rahl. So what would she want you to do?"

Richard looked at Zedd, hating him for asking this now, wishing he'd just leave him alone with her. He looked down at her still form, and swallowed hard. He looked back at Zedd. "I'll answer that question if I have to, Zedd. But not yet. Not while she's still fighting."

Zedd nodded, knowing that was as much as he could hope for right now. He stood up, stooping under the low roof of the tent. "I'll go see if they've a healer in this camp. There may be more yet we can do."

Richard sighed, and reached out to touch Kahlan's face. "Don't make me do this alone," he whispered.

***

"I'll fight you," Kahlan said.

_With what_? More laughter.

Kahlan could sense a grim satisfaction in the sound. "Who…who are you?" Kahlan whispered, though there was a part of her that already knew. There was a sensation of air moving around her, and then a feeling of cold slicing through her, freezing her, numbing her mind, driving thought away—

_You killed me. Now I'm going to return the favor._

Kahlan screamed silently.

***

"Something's wrong," Zedd said, his hand on her forehead. It would have been reassuring in a way to feel a fever, but she was cold. Icy cold. She was still breathing, but it seemed weaker to him. The camp's only healer had been killed three weeks earlier, so he was on his own. _A fever I could deal with_, he thought. _But this?_

Richard was looking at him, his jaw tight. "What is it?" he said. "What's wrong with her? Isn't she getting better?"

_This is sorcery_, Zedd thought. _You're a wizard. You're supposed to know what to do_. He shook his head. "I don't know. I was able to close the wound, but she lost so much blood. She's too cold…" He stopped, thinking. _Do something, you old fool_. He looked up at Richard, coming to a decision. _A simple answer for a complicated problem_. "We need heat—have them build a fire. A big one. We'll move her out next to it. And blankets. Every blanket you can find."

Richard nodded, and leaped into action, relieved to have something to do instead of just waiting and worrying. They had the fire going in no time, and Richard had them build a little bed of pine boughs covered with thick bearskins and blankets. Everyone was helping, doing all they could, and Richard was overwhelmed with gratitude.

They carried Kahlan out to the fire, and Zedd piled blanket after blanket on top of her till Richard thought she'd suffocate. Yet when he touched her forehead, it was still icy. He felt a sick dread.

***

Thought returned slowly, a struggle for awareness. The cold was still around her, inside her, and Kahlan felt like it was draining away her strength.

_It is_. More laughter, and there was a tinge of insanity behind it. _You are mine forever, Kahlan Amnell_.

"No," Kahlan whispered. She cast about in her thoughts for something, anything she could use to fight this. _But how do I fight something without shape, without substance?_

_You don't_. The cold hit her again, intensifying, twining around her, through her, and she felt her hold on sanity slipping away. The cold became more than a feeling, it was a sound, pounding in her ears. It was everywhere, pulsing inside her, throbbing, freezing every part of her…

But then Kahlan became faintly aware that there was a part of her, deep inside, that was resisting it. It was a tiny spark, a firefly, but as she became aware of it, it seemed to grow ever so slightly.

The cold lashed at her, beating against the tiny light, trying to crush it. She clung to it desperately, focusing all her effort on keeping it alive. And a hint of strength returned.

_No. No, I won't let you go! _Anger. Fury. _NO__!_

The cold redoubled, a storm all around her. She was being tossed through the darkness for minutes, hours, days, years, tumbling forever, all sense of control gone. Kahlan moaned, curled around the tiny light. _Richard_, she sobbed. _Help me_. And the light grew, casting a faint warmth inside her, a haven against the insanity surrounding her. She held it to her, clinging to that shred of hope.

_You are mine! I will destroy you! MINE!!!_

***

At first, for a few hours, the fire seemed to help. Richard thought he felt a hint of the iciness recede, but in the early hours of the morning it came back, even worse. She was so cold, but she wasn't shivering. _What is happening to her_? Richard looked to Zedd, but for the first time he could remember, the wizard looked hopeless.

_No_, Richard thought, not knowing who he was saying it to. _I will not let you take her_. He lifted Kahlan into his arms, her head tucked into the hollow of his neck, pulled the blankets up over her, and held her close, one hand stroking her hair. "Kahlan," he whispered. "Kahlan, please." He felt something, a sigh, and he held her tighter. "Come on, Kahlan. Fight it."

"Richard."

At first he wasn't sure he'd heard it, it was so faint, but Zedd leaped forward, his hand on her forehead.

Her eyes were still closed, she looked the same, but Zedd knew he'd heard her say Richard's name, he'd seen her lips move. He looked into Richard's eyes, a hopeful look on his craggy face. "Talk to her," he said. "She knows you're there."

"Kahlan," he said. "Kahlan, come back to me. It's me. I'm here. I've got you."

***

"Richard," Kahlan whispered through the maelstrom, and the sound of her voice seemed to float now, not being swallowed up by the cold, despite the whirling, frozen chaos surrounding her.

_Kahlan._

It wasn't the voice. It was something else, barely a whisper, but it carried warmth with it.

_Kahlan, come back to me._

_Richard?_ The spark inside her grew to open flame, a glowing light pushing back the icy darkness, the madness.

_It's me. I'm here. I've got you._

The cold came back with a vengeance, shrieking, throwing everything at her in a last, desperate effort to pull her back into the black pit. It ripped at her, plunging into her, trying to pull her away from the warmth, from Richard. Kahlan sobbed, almost ready to give up. It was too hard, she was too tired to hold on, she was cold, so cold... But somehow the flame grew, spilled out of her, surrounded her, melting the cold. And the icy fingers were…

Gone.

***

Kahlan's eyes fluttered open, and Zedd was staring at her. He looked so concerned. Then she felt Richard's arms around her, his chest against her cheek, heard his heart beating, and she was warm. The relief was so overwhelming, she found herself crying, and she couldn't stop. She buried her head in Richard's chest, pressing against him as though she were trying to hide inside of him, her hand clutching weakly at his shirt.

Richard rocked her gently, murmuring into her hair, stroking her cheek. "It's okay, I've got you. You're safe." She shook, taking deep, shuddering breaths as she sobbed silently. After several minutes, she seemed to wind down, taking short, hiccupping breaths through the tears. "Shhh. I've got you. It's all right." Her breathing steadied slowly, then evened out, and the hand clutching his shirt relaxed. Richard looked up at Zedd, who nodded, smiling in relief.

"Best to let her sleep," he whispered. "Are you okay?"

Richard smiled up at him, his cheek pressed against the top of Kahlan's head. "Never better."

***

A week later, Kahlan was almost ready to travel. She'd slept through most of the first two days, waking only once when Zedd was giving her some broth. After that, she seemed to rally, and by the end of the third day, she was able to sit up on her own. Her progress since then had been remarkable, a combination of her strength and Zedd's healing skill.

Richard hadn't asked her about what had happened to her. There was no doubt it had shaken her to the core. And if he were honest with himself, the fact that she'd been so rattled by it had left him more than a little scared as well. She had been a rock for him in the darkest times, and to see her showing such vulnerability was unsettling.

For her part, Kahlan had been doing her best to block out those dark hours. But there was something in her that made her wonder if she could keep that up. _Maybe it would be better if I faced it_, she thought, _the way I faced what he did to me the first time_. She was sitting with her back against a log, looking over at the river sparkling in the afternoon sunlight. _And if so, it should be in the light of day_.

She heard Richard come up behind her, knowing instinctively it was him. "Can I join you?" he asked as she turned to look up at him. She seemed a little more at ease than she had been through the previous few days. She gestured for him to sit, and he stepped over the log and sat down next to her. "How are you feeling?" he asked for what seemed like the thousandth time.

She smiled, knowing from his look that he was wishing he could come up with a better opening line. "Better," she said, following their usual script. Her smile faded slightly as she debated whether she was up to talking to him about…everything. There was, interestingly, no doubt in her mind that it was Richard she needed to talk to. Zedd would be solicitous and understanding, but somehow those weren't the qualities she needed at the moment.

"What is it?" Richard said, looking at her in concern as the little lines on her forehead she got when she was worried reappeared.

She glanced over at him, then down at her hands as she rubbed them together, wondering if she'd ever get over feeling like they were freezing.

Richard had noticed this new habit, too. It worried him, but he wasn't sure what it meant.

Kahlan took a slow breath, then let it out, finally deciding it would be better to deal with this now than to let it fester any longer. "I need to talk to you," she said. "About…what happened. When I was…sick."

Richard waited, not wanting to press her when she seemed so reluctant. Kahlan wasn't exactly a chatterbox in the best of times.

She looked at him again, and his patience was reassuring. "I don't think it was just the injury," she said. "There was something else."

Richard nodded. "Zedd said he thought there was sorcery involved, but he didn't know what it was."

Kahlan hadn't realized that, and the fact that Zedd didn't have an answer for it was frightening. "I think I do," she said, not wanting to say it out loud. "At least, I think I know who it was."

Richard waited again, this time because he wasn't sure he wanted to know.

Kahlan held her arms around herself tightly, as though she were cold. "I think it was Giller."

Whatever he'd been bracing for, Richard hadn't expected that. "The wizard? But…but he's dead," he said, frowning in confusion.

Kahlan nodded, and she seemed to be shivering slightly. "That's what scares me the most. Spirits, Richard, how do you stop something that's already dead?" She lifted her eyes to him, and when he saw the fear in them, he gathered her into his arms. He was surprised a little when she didn't automatically pull away, the way they'd gotten used to doing before all this happened.

"Well," he said after a moment of enjoying the feeling of her in his arms again, "apparently you figured out how, or we wouldn't be sitting here, would we?"

_And that was exactly the right thing to say_, Kahlan thought, her head bowed, smiling into his shoulder. He was right, of course. Somehow, there had been something inside of her that had held off the shade of the wizard. And that thought gave her hope.

"What happened?" Richard said, wondering if she'd be willing to tell him.

"It was cold," she said, and realized that was probably obvious. She tried to describe it to him, knowing she was only conveying a tiny part of the horror. "But then I felt like there was something warm inside me. It was small, so small, it couldn't possibly hold off the cold, but somehow it did. And…" She paused, pulling away a little, but only far enough to be able to look up into his eyes. "It got stronger when I thought of you. For a while, that just made it worse—it…he… He was so angry! And I was so tired." Her voice shook. "But then, when I heard your voice…"

_Zedd was right_, Richard thought, grateful to the wizard. _She did hear me_.

"…that tiny light got brighter, warmer." She stopped again, and the look in her eyes made him feel like there could never be a cold day again. "You got me through it, Richard. It was you."

He smiled. "Then you have nothing to worry about, Kahlan. I'm never going to leave you."

And that, too, was exactly the right thing to say.


End file.
